Teach Them To Work: Building a Positive Work Ethic in Our Children, by Mary Beeke | Review by Rosa Byler
No children were on the scene when God gave Adam the responsibility of “dressing and keeping” the garden. However, those original first-time parents must have soon realized what all parents learn: their offspring did not instinctively know how or even want to participate in that mandate. Training children to accomplish tasks, see the value of […]
Continue ReadingRest & Reflection: Is It Optional?
I admit it. I really don’t care for winters, even the relatively mild ones we have here in Virginia. The combination of colder weather and short days wears on me. I’m quite certain this has been exacerbated by having spent most of my life in an industry that tends toward negative cash flow during the […]
Continue ReadingThe Peacemaking Pastor: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Church Conflict, by Alfred Poirier | Review by Rosa Byler
Alfred Poirier’s introduction is forthright: “Christ is the reason many enter the pastorate. Conflict is the reason many leave.” The frequency of church conflicts should not surprise us, he says, as much as the fact that “churches, Bible colleges, and seminaries alike provide little if any pastoral training in how to address these conflicts.” (9-10) […]
Continue ReadingScreens and Teens: Connecting with Our Kids in a Wireless World, by Kathy Koch | Review by Rosa Byler
Screens and Teens’ author Kathy Koch (pronounced “cook”) joins a growing body of both Christian and secular professionals seeking to evaluate the effects of technology overuse. Koch briefly describes possible consequences, the main ones being decreased memory, distraction, and diminished ability to concentrate. Use of technology can train or retrain neurons, the brain’s “conduits of […]
Continue ReadingResisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue, by Matthew C. Mitchell | Review by Rosa Byler
Gossip is probably one of the most under-addressed of all the Romans-seven-style sins that Christians hate but fall into regularly anyway. Although mentioned frequently in the Bible, gossip is the focus of surprisingly few books or sermons. Pastor Matthew Mitchell addressed the subject early in his ministry and later preached a nine-sermon series that eventually […]
Continue ReadingPracticing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others, by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock | Review by Rosa Byler
Being hospitable is an ancient tradition; every culture offers variants of the basic components of food, lodging, and conversation. Yet hospitality is rooted in biblical command and precedent; and for Christians, there is the added “joy of serving others” as we follow Christ’s example. In Practicing Hospitality, Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock encourage readers to […]
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